Hold-down device



Jan. 25, 1944. G; E, DUWE" 2,339,845

HOLD-DOWN DEVICE Filed Aug. 1'7, 1942 Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES ATENT ()FFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to a hold-down device which is adapted to he slipped over the edge of a board or the like to act as a stop for a third member pressed against the device in a direction tending to push it off the board.

More concretely, my invention concerns a holddown device adapted to behooked over the upper edge of a vat or tank containing brine or other pickling solution to limit the upward movement of the hold-down plate under pressure from the buoyancy of the meat being pickled therein.

Among the objects and features of m invention as applied to a pickling vat are these:

My hold-down device is not pre-fixed to the vat; no bolts, nails, wood screws, or clamping screws are required, nor the labor of installing them.

My hold-down device is normally free to be hooked over, or removed from, the top edge of the vat; it is only when the hold-down plate actually presses up against the device that the device becomes locked to the vat.

The engagement of the hold-down plate upwardly against the hold-down device, whereby the device limits movement of the plate in reference to the device, is translated into an action whereby the device locks itself to the vat to arrest movement of the device relative to the vat; the harder the plate presses upwardly against the device, the more securely the device is locked to the vat to resist upward movement of the plate relative to the vat.

The downward movement of the hold-down device to seat it over the upper edge of the vat may be employed conveniently for pushing down the hold-down plate to its desired level; in fact this does not even require the attendant putting his hands below the top of the vat, which is especially important when the solution is very hot, or a caustic or an acid for industrial treatment vats rather than meat pickling brine.

Once the hold-down device is seated in its hold-down position upon the vat, it is not up wardly shifted from that position by the upward thrust of the hold-down plate, because the initial vertical movement effecting engagement between the plate and device is applied to lock the device to the vat. An upward back-shift of the device along the vat is thus avoided whether the application of the clamp to the vat be employed or alteration in the vat, or the installation of any fixture, stop, ratchet bar or the like, to adapt the vat to m device. Likewise a standard hold-down plate may be used with my device, and requires no alteration or fixture installation.

No part of my hold-down device need'be submerged within the brine.

My hold-down device is a simple, inexpensive, rugged, easily cleaned structure consisting of but two pieces relatively articulable but permanently joined for handling as a unit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on a median plane through a hold-down device embodying the features of my invention, showing the device mounted on the vat and ready to be moved into the operative or hold-down position in a meat pickling vat;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hold-down device in the fully operative hold-down position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hold-down device;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the vat-side engaging or mounting member of the hold-down device disassembled; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the grid-engaging or hold-down member of the hold-down dellgice prior to assembly with the mounting mem- A hold-down device In embodying the features of the invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in association with an open-top meat pickling vat II, illustrated more or less schematically. The vat ll includes a stationary straight vertical wooden board side I2 and a vertically movable, horizontal hold-down plate or grid member l3 Which may be of latticed wooden construction having an upper marginal cleat M. A meat pickling solution l5 and pieces of meat I! to be pickled, fill the vat I I to within a safe distance from the top, sufficiently spaced therefrom to prevent overflow. The natural buoyancy of the meat I! within the pickling solution tends to lift up the upper pieces of meat to project wholly or partially above the level of the solution l5. It is the function of the hold-down grid l3 to engage the upper pieces of meat, and, under the influence of hold-down force applied to the top of the grid, oppose the upthrust of the mass of meat and hold the upper pieces completely submerged within the curing solution. My hold-down device In is adapted to be applied to the top edge of the vat I I for applying and maintaining the submerging force to the hold-down grid I3. There are, of course, as many individual units of the device III used at spaced points around the top of the vat as necessary for holding the grid down uniformly.

The hold-down device I comprises a mounting member I8 adapted to be engaged upon the vat side I2 as a base. A cooperating, relatively movable hold-down member I 9 is engageable with the marginal cleat I4 or some other convenient upper adjacent marginal portion of the hold-down grid1 to the thickness of the bridging strip in addition to the generous spacing provided to accommodate form. Where the metal is itself not n on corrosive, it should be appropriately surface treated or coated after manufacture of the device to protect it against the possibly corrosive effect of the pickling soluti'on'in which the deviceneed not,

as shown, be immersed'in use (although' under some circumstances it may be at leastpartially immersed), but from which it can hardly be kept out of some degree 'of' contact at'some time during use.

.of the Wall.

The hold-down member I9 is constructedrto be assembled with the :mounting member I8 in a simple andeffective manner which avoids the use of any connecting pin or otherelement that would have to be formed separate from 'either of the basic members I8 and'I9. Thus, the hold-down member I9 comprises a substantially V-shape structure including a relatively short, and i'nassembly'horizontal, leg 22 and asomewhat longer leg 23 which in the assembly as illustrated extends diagonally up over the horizontal legv 22, in this instance at an angle of about forty degrees .to the plane of the latter. The legs 22 and 23 may be formed'from separatelstraight pieces of the same strip material as the mounting member I8 and'are convergently joined in a permanent manner as by welding 24.

A heel 25 for engaging the cleat I4 is preferably formed by extending the lower end portion of the diagonal leg 23 a distance down beyond the converging welded joint of the legs sufficient to afford a substantial clearance between the top of the cleat and the lower surface of the horizontal leg 22 upon engagement with the cleat. The engagement heel 25 may be bent more nearly toward a perpendicular to the horizontal leg 22 inside straddle leg 2I through a transversely elongated aperture 28 adjacent to the free end of the horizontal leg 22, while at the same time introducing an intermediate reduced width neck portion 29 on the inside straddle leg 2| into a longitudinal slot '30 medially bifurcating the 'upper end of the diagonal leg 23. Then'the tongue 21 is bent over toward. the heel 25- into the-thickness of the vat side I2 freely between thelegs.

Installation of the hold-down device is effected bystraddling'the legs 20 and 2I over the vat side I wall I2 and then pressing down in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 upon the web connecting the straddle le'gs toidrive the engagement heel 25 down against'thehold-down grid'cleat I4 with sufiicient force to drive the hold-down'grid I3 into a partially or fully submerged position'within or below the level of the pickling solution I5, and at least .far enough down'tomaintain the upper pieces of meat I 'I fully submerged within the solution. v

Upward thrust'caus'ed'by buoyancy of the meat and possibly also of thef-hold-down grid 13 (or due to the resiliency or resistance of any other object or material that may be held in place by the hold-down device) is utilized for automatically locking the hold -down'device against unintentional displacement from the hold-down 'position- Herein this is accomplished by arela} tive rocking relationship of the hold-down member I9 00' theside-engaging member- I8, sothat in response tothe upward component of'thrust upon the heel 25, the*bifuroated upper end of diagonal leg 23 is driven hard into engagement with the inner face of the vat side wall I2 for locking the device" in place. The'bifurcated end is beveled oif at the-top to provide" a pairof sharp spursi 32 which bite into "or penetrate the vat side '"toprovi'de aneffective locking anchor.

To attain the rocking relationship, thes'lot'28ds wider than the thickness of the tongue'Z'I, and 'sufficient clearance is' left between the tongue 21 and a pair of shoulders 33 opposing the horizontal leg 22 at the respective opposite sides of the tongue, to enable a substantial range of up and down pivotal lever movement of the leg 22 riding on the shoulders 33 as afulorum. In addition the r length of the reduced neck 29 and the lengthof .the receiving slot 30 are such that as the horicorrespondingly, describing an arc which carries thespurs 32 inwardly from the straddle leg 2I,

as indicated by the arrow-in Fig. 2, upon upward rocking of the member I9. The extent of rocking permitted is sufficient to move the spurs 32 through and beyond the clearance between the inner straddle leg 2i and the face of the vat side I2 a substantial distance to assure a thorough anchorage of the spurs in the vat wall. The clearance between the horizontal leg 22 and the top of the cleat I4 is preferably sufficient to accommodatethebent assembly tongue 21 at all times out of contact with thetop of the cleat. 7

As the spurs 32 drive against the vat side, the diagonal leg 23 exerts a pull on' thehorizontal leg 22 and thus the bridge 31 tends to drawthe inner straddle leg 2| away from the vat wi tll causes the outer straddle leg 20 to be drawn into tight frictional engagement against the outer face of the vat side. Thus, the vat side is thoroughly gripped between the spurs 32 and the outer leg 20. This, together with the anchorage afforded by penetration of the spurs into the vat side, assures effective locking of the hold-down device in the hold-down position.

The horizontal and diagonal legs 22 and 23, considered more technically, provide a compound lever arrangement wherein the leg 22 is fulcrumed upon the mounting member l8 and controls the diagonal lever 23 which has a fixed fulcrum at the point where the horizontal leg 22 joins it. Application and release of thrust at the end of the heel 25 causes both levers to rock on their fulcrums simultaneously with the de scribed effect.

Release of the hold-down device is effected simply by rocking the hold-down element IS in opposition to the upthrust. Thus, by applying pressure to the upper face of the diagonal leg 23, the spurs 32 are released from the side of the vat. Then the straddling mounting member l8 will slip up out of hold-down position and can be withdrawn from the vat side to remove the device. When not in use, the device can be turned around with the straddle leg 20 inside the vat and idly straddled on the vat side l2 to be ready at hand when the device is to be returned to hold-down position.

The simplicity, effectiveness and economy of my hold-down device, as compared with prior expedients, are very apparent when it is considered that prior devices have generally been of such complexity or otherwise unsatisfactory that rather than bother with them, meat picklers, for example, have generally avoided their use by utilizing nails driven into the inner faces of the pickling vats to hold down the hold-down plate or grid. Such makeshift in time softens up and chips away the wood.

My hold-down device automatically locks itself in the hold-down position, and can be very quickly and easily released for removal by simpl manipulation which comprises nothing more than pushing against the locking part of the device and withdrawing the device. Since the device, is of relatively open frame construction, all parts can easily be washed and kept clean and sanitary.

While I have illustrated and described my invention in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, I contemplate that various modifications, substitutions and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A hold-down device of the class described comprising an inverted U-shaped member, a member pivotally connected to the end of one of the legs of said invertedjUj-sh'apedmi inter including a downward-1y" difectedcoiitacting element and an element extending obliquely upwardly past an intermediate position of said leg.

2. Ahold-down device of the class described comprising an inverted U-shaped member, an arm pivotally connected to the end of one of the legs of said inverted U-shaped member, a downwardly directed element carried by said arm remote from its pivot, and an element extending upwardly and obliquely from said arm having its upper end extending freely past said leg at an intermediate position thereon.

3. A hold-down device of the class described comprising an inverted U-shaped member, an arm pivotally connected to the end of one of the legs of said inverted U-shaped member, means on said leg for preventing said arm from moving downwardly past a generally horizontal position, a downwardly directed element carried by said arm remote from its pivot, and an element extending upwardly and obliquely from said arm having its upper end extending freely past said leg at an intermediate position thereon.

4. A hold-down device of the class described comprising an inverted U-shaped member, an arm pivotally connected to the end of one of the legs of said inverted U-shaped member, means rigidly carried by said arm remote from its pivot including a downwardly directed contact member, and an element extending upwardly and obliquely from said arm, having its upper end bifurcated to extend freely past said leg at an intermediate position thereon, and means carried by said leg for preventing said arm from moving downwardly past a generally horizontal position and said bifurcated end from clearing said leg.

5. A hold-down device comprising a strap bent to form an inverted U-shaped member, the lower end of one of the legs being reduced to provide a terminal tongue, said leg being reduced in width by lateral notches at an intermediate position thereon, an arm having an opening receiving said tongue to mount the arm on said leg for pivotal movement of the arm with respect to the leg, the end of said tongue being bent outwardly to provide a stop for said arm whereby said arm is prevented from moving downwardly beyond a generally horizonta1 position, and a strap rigidly connected to the end of said arm, said strap including a portion extending downwardly below said arm and a portion extending obliquely upwardly past the reduced part of the leg, the upper end of said strap being bifurcated to pass freely the reduced portion of said leg and its bifurcated end being provided with sharp gripping edges.

GEORGE E. DUWE. 

